Field of the Invention
The invention generally concerns coverings and more particularly, convertible multipurpose bed coverings adapted to be singularly converted or detachably connected together and converted to form several optional adult, adolescent and infant size bedding items such as larger and smaller sized bed comforters, quilted blankets, body wraps, single and double sleeping bags as examples, and provides for convenient laundering of the coverings.
Fabric bed comforters have long been used for keeping the body warm when sleeping or when in cool surroundings. Sleeping bags have also long been used to keep the body warm, particularly when in outdoor environments. To increase the versatility of such bedding, several convertible bedding articles have been created serving as both a standard blanket and a sleeping bag or forming other such warming articles.
One such convertible bedding is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,442,105 issued to L. Vacheron on May 25, 1948. In this patent, a design for a multipurpose blanket is disclosed. This blanket is square in shape and is equipped with slide fasteners disposed about the entire periphery of the blanket. These slide fasteners allow the blanket to be arranged in several configurations. One of these configurations takes the form of a standard sleeping bag, substantially rectangular in shape and open at one end to permit a person to slide between the top and bottom layers of the bag. While adequately serving as both a blanket and a sleeping bag, the invention of this patent is large and, as such, may be difficult to clean in a standard automatic washing machine. In addition, no provision is made for covering the slide fastener elements of the blanket. With these slide fasteners exposed about all edges of the blanket, they are likely to irritate the blanket user, zipper teeth coming in direct contact with the skin.
Similar convertible bedding have been created in the art of infant bedding. One such bedding is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,034,132 issued to Landsberger et al. on May 15, 1962. In this patent, an infant's blanket is described in which an infant may be wrapped. The blanket is square in shape and secures about the infant with either snap or hook and loop fasteners. Although this particular design works well for keeping a small infant warm, such a design would be impractical for an adult comforter since the blanket would be required to be very large. As with the blanket of the Vacheron patent, a blanket of such large dimensions most likely could not be machine washed.
Other bedding designs related to the present invention appear in the art of sleeping bag design. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,889 issued to J. A. Peterson on May 12, 1970 and U.K. Pat. No. GB 2-224-640-A issued to Martin Bato on May 16, 1990, two person sleeping bags are disclosed that are formed by joining two single person sleeping bags together along their respective seams. In addition, the sleeping bag of the Peterson patent is convertible, allowing the user to change the top cover of the sleeping bag so that top covers of various thicknesses and therefore various warming properties may be selected. While the sleeping bag designs of both of these patents may be spread out to form large blankets, none of them provide for enclosing the bag's fastening elements, these elements left exposed.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention concerns, but is not limited to, convertible multipurpose coverings adapted to be singularly or detachably connected together and converted to form several optional adult, adolescent and infant size bedding items such as bed comforters, sleeping bags, body wraps and quilted blankets as examples, and provides for convenient laundering of the coverings. The coverings are constructed of a pair of natural, synthetic or blended flexible sheets of material similarly sized, generally rectangular in shape, with predetermined surfaces and edges positioned in face-to-face relationship at a first location, aligned along the sheets like marginal edges, connected together along the sheet's top and side marginal edges leaving the sheet's bottom edges open and turning the connected sheets right-side-out. Insulating filling material of sufficient shape, size or volume is then inserted through the opening at the sheet's bottom edges and arranged to evenly fill the space between the two connected sheets with the sheets then being connected together along the sheet bottom marginal edges closing the opening form a comforter-like body. Affixed to the top surface of the body along the right side marginal edge are two pluralities of fastening elements arranged in longitudinal rows at predetermined, spaced apart locations paralleling each other, affixed to the bottom surface of the body along the left side marginal edge are two additional pluralities of fastening elements arranged in the same manner. Also affixed to the bottom surface of the body along the bottom marginal edge are a plurality of elements arranged in a lateral row of alternating male-type and female-type fasteners at regular, predetermined intervals. These fasteners are arranged and of suitable types to permit detachable connections for multiple conversions of a singular covering, and at least two detachably connected coverings.
One of the principle objects of the invention is to provide larger size bed comforters or quilted blankets by conversion of two detachably connected coverings, that can be conveniently laundered in standard household size washing or drying machines safely without overloading by simply detaching the two coverings and laundering each covering separately.
It is another object of the invention to provide optional smaller size bed comforters or quilted blankets by conversion of a singular covering.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide optional adult size single sleeping bags or body wraps by conversion of a singular covering.
It is still yet another object of the invention to provide optional adult size double sleeping bags by conversion of two detachably connected coverings.
It is yet further an object of the invention to provide optional infant and adolescent size double sleeping bags or body wraps by conversion of a singular covering.
It is still further another object of the invention to provide optional infant and adolescent size extra cushioned single sleeping bags or body wraps by conversion of a singular covering.
Furthermore, the invention is also intended to be assembled using different colored, patterned, printed and textured surfaces permitting the covering to be inverted for greater appearance versatility.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention.